Rule Changes throughout the history of college football:
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THE BALL:
1869--Round, rubber Association Football (soccer ball).
1875--Egg-shaped, rubber covered Rugby ball.
1896--Prolate speheroid, without specific measurements.
1912--28 to 28 1/2" around ends, 22 1/2 to 23" around middle, weight 14-15 oz
1929--Measurement around middle reduced to 22 to 22 1/2".
1934--Measurement around middle reduced to 21 1/4 to 21 1/2".
1952--Ball may be inclined no more than 45 degrees by snapper.
1956--Rubber covered ball permitted.
1973--Teams allowed to use ball of their choice while in posession.
1978--Ball may not be altered, and must be new or nearly new.
1982--10 7/8 to 11 7/16" long, 20 3/4 to 21 1/4" around middle, and
27 3/4 to 28 1/2" long-axis circumference.
1993--Rubber or composition ball ruled illegal.
THE FIELD:
1869--120 yds. by 75 yds., uprights 24' apart.
1871--166 2/3 yds. by 100 yds.
1872--133 1/3 yds. by 83 1/3 yds.
1873--Uprights 25' apart.
1876--110 yds. by 53 1/3 yds., uprights 18 1/2' apart, crossbar 10' high.
1882--Field marked with transverse lines every five yds.; this distance to be
gained in three downs to maintain posession.
1912--120 yds. by 53 1/3 yds., including two 10 yd. end zones.
1927--Goal posts moved back 10 yds. to end line.
1957--Team area at 35 yd. lines.
1959--Uprights widened to 23'4".
1966--Pylons placed in corners of end zones and at goal lines.
1991--Uprights moved back to 18'6".
1993--Hash marks moved 6'8" closer to center of field to 60' from each
sideline.
POINTS AND SCORING:
1869--All goals count 1 pt. each.
1883--Safety 1, touchdown 2, goal after TD 4, goal from field 5.
1884--Safety 2, TD 4, goal after TD 2.
1898--Touchdown 5, goal after TD 1.
1904--Goal from field 4.
1909--Goal from field 3.
1912--Touchdown 6.
1922--Try for point after TD from 5 yd. line.
1929--Try for PAT from 2 yd. line.
1958--One and two point conversions from 3 yd. line.
1976--Forfeit score scanged from 1-0 to score at time of forfeit if the
offended team is ahead at that time.
1984--PAT may be eliminated at end of game if both captains agree.
PLAYERS:
1869--Each team consisted of 25 players.
1873--20 players to a team.
1876--15 players to a team.
1880--11 players to a team.
1895--Only one man in motion foreward before the snap. No more than three
players behind the line. One player permitted in motion toward
own goal line.
1910--Seven players required on line.
1911--Illegal to conceal ball beneath player's clothing.
1915--Numbering of players recommended.
1937--Numbering front (6" arabic) and back (10" arabic) required.
1939--All players must wear head protectors.
1951--Face masks legal.
1966--Mandatory numbering of players on the line 50-79.
1982--Tearaway jerseys made illegal by charging a timeout.
1983--Mandatory white jerseys for visiting teams.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
1876--Fifteen players to a team and few if any substitutions.
1882--Replacements for disqualified or injured players.
1897--Substitutes may enter game at any time at discretion of captains.
1922--Players withdrawn during the first half may not return until the second
half. Players withdrawn during the second half may not return to
the game.
1941--Players may substitute at any time but may not be withdrawn or the
outgoing player returned until at least one play has intervened.
"Platoon" football made possible.
1948--Unlimited substitution on change of team posession.
1953--Two-platoon abolished and players allowed to enter game only once in
each quarter
1954-64--Changes each year toward more liberalized substitution and platoon
football.
1965--Platoon football returns. Unlimited substitutions between periods and
after a score.
1974--Substitutes must be in for one play and replaced players out for one
play.
1993--Players who are bleeding or whose uniforms are saturated with blood
must come out of the game until their return has been approved by
medical personnel.
PASSING GAME:
1906--One foreward pass legalized behind the line if made five yards to the
right or left of center. Ball went to opponent if it failed to
touch a player of either side before touching the ground. Either
team could recover a pass touched by an opponent. Limit one pass
each scrimmage down.
1910--Pass interference does not apply 20 yds. beyond the line of scrimmage.
Passer must be 5 yds. behind line of scrimmage. One foreward pass
permitted during each down.
1914--Roughing the passer penalty added.
1923--Handing ball foreward considered an illegal foreward pass and receivers
going out of bounds and returning prohibited.
1934--Three changes encourage use of foreward pass: 1) First foreward pass in
series of downs can be incomplete in end zone without loss of ball
except on fourth down; 2) Circumference of ball reduced, making it
easier to throw; 3) Previous 5 yd. penalty for more than one foreward
pass in a series of downs eliminated.
1941--Fourth down pass incomplete in end zone changed from touchback to change
of posession at previous spot.
1945--Foreward pass may be thrown from anywhere behind the line, encouraging
use of modern T-formation.
1968--Compulsory numbering system makes only players numbered other than 50-79
eligible foreward pass receivers.
1976--Offensive blocking changed to permit half extension of arms to assist
pass blocking.
1980--Retreat blocking added with full arm extension to assist pass blocking,
and illegal use of hands reduced to 5 yd. penalty.
1982--Pass interference only on catchable foreward pass. Foreward pass
intentionally grounded to conserve time permitted.
1983--First down added to roughing the passer.
1985--Retreat block deleted and open hands and extended arms permitted
anywhere on field.
GENERAL CHANGES:
1876--Holding and carrying the ball permitted.
1880--Eleven players to a side and a scrimmage line established.
1882--Downs and yards to gain enter rules.
1883--Scoring system established.
1906--Foreward passes permitted; Ten yards for first down.
1920--Clipping defined.
1922--Try for point introduced. Ball brought out five yds. from goal line for
scrimmage, allowing try for extra point by place kick, drop kick,
run, or foreward pass.
1925--Kickoff at 40 yard line. Clipping made a violation, originally a 25
yd. penalty.
1927--One-second pause imposed on shift. Thirty seconds allowed for putting
ball in play. Huddle limited to 15 seconds. To encourage use of
lateral pass, missed backward pass other than from center snap
declared dead ball when it hits the ground and cannot be recovered
by opponents.
1929--All fumbles ruled dead at point of recovery.
1932--Most far-reaching changes in a quarter of a century set up safeguards
against hazards of game: 1) Ball declared dead when any portion of a
player other than hands or feet touch the ground; 2) Use of flying
block and flying tackle barred under penalty of 5 yds.; 3) Players
on defense forbidden to strike opponents on head, neck, or face;
4) Hard or dangerous equipment must be covered with padding.
1937--Numerals on front and back of jerseys required.
1941--Legal to hand ball foreward behind neutral zone.
1948--One-inch kicking tees permitted.
1949--Blockers required to keep hands against chest.
1951--Fair catch restored.
1952--Penalty for striking with forearm, elbow, or locked hands, or for
flagrantly rough play or unsportsmanlike conduct, changed from 15
yds. to 15 yds. and mandatory suspension.
1957--Penalty for grabbing face mask.
1959--Distance penalties limited to one-half distance to offending team's goal
line.
1965--Two-inch kicking tees permitted.
1967--Coaching from sideline permitted.
1971--Crack back block (blocking below the waist) made illegal.
1972--Freshman eligibility restored.
1977--Clock started on snap after a penalty.
1978--Unsuccessful field goal returned to previous spot.
1983--Offensive encroachment redefined. No offensive player permitted in or
beyond the neutral zone after snapper touches ball.
1985--One or both feet on ground required for blocking below the waist foul.
1986--Kickoff from 35 yd. line.
1988--Defensive team allowed to score two points on return of blocked extra
point kick or interception of extra-point pass.
1989--Kicking tees eliminated for extra point and field goal attempts.
1990--Defense allowed to advance fumbles that occur beyond the neutral zone.
1991--Width between goal post uprights reduced from 23'4" to to 18'6".
Kickoff out of bounds allows receiving team to take ball 30 yds.
beyond yard line where kickoff occured.
1992--Defense allowed to advance fumbles regardless of where they occur.
1993--Guard-around or "fumblerooski" play ruled illegal.
1996--Overtime introduced to break ties.
2002--Penalty for not giving a kick receiver enough room (halo) increased
from 5 to 10 yards.
2009--Except in the last two minutes of a half, if the clock is stopped,
it restarts when the ball is set rather than when the next play starts.
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Adapted from The National Collegiate Athletic Association OFFICIAL 1993 NCAA
FOOTBALL (ISSN 0735-5475).
The WWW site thanks the following for the upload:
pdunn@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu